Red
Sophia Stopper + Paige Naylor, video poem, 2020
Written, performed, and video composed by Sophia Stopper
Sound design by Paige Naylor
Sound design by Paige Naylor
A Stack of Books and a Hot Air Balloon Ride in Turkey
My Trip to Istanbul and CappadociaSophia Stopper Jul 07, 2025
A portrait of Sophia Stopper taken by Dániel Béla Gellai in Istanbul, Turkey 2015First, we landed in Istanbul, Turkey. A place full of books. All kinds of books. Fiction, nonfiction, politics, romance, theory, and criticism. When we entered our third bookstore, I talked to the bookseller for forty-five minutes. Eventually walking out with about twelve books of all different genres. But I didn’t leave before the bookseller asked “Do you have a Quran?” A Quran is meant to be gifted, you’re not supposed to buy one for yourself. So I replied, “No, not yet.” He said, “Wait a second.” And disappeared behind a curtain leading to a back room. When he reappeared, there was a stunning deep blue book in his hands with a golden rose on the front and gold-edged pages. He said, “This is for you.” I was speechless. Taking it carefully into my hands, I opened it and realized it was not only a Quran, but one that was translated into English side-by-side with Arabic and color-coded so you could see what letters and words were what characters.
A photograph of rooftop graffiti in Istanbul, Turkey taken by Sophia Stopper 2015We walked back to our Airbnb in the quiet more conservative part of town. Across the river is where all the parties happen. Loud music. Liberals gathering in flocks. But no, we were on a silent street in Istanbul ladened with books walking side by side ready for some sleep. Dani was my travel partner. My best friend in my time teaching and traveling abroad. Still a good friend of mine ten years later. We met because we were both assigned to organize the writing center library with one other person. I remember Dani and I sitting down and discussing in length strategies we could use to organize these books. In the time we had been planning, the third person ended up organizing the library herself. This is when I knew Dani was my kind of person.
A portrait of Dániel Béla Gellai taken by Sophia Stopper in Istanbul, Turkey 2015We went to The Museum of Innocence. This museum is also a book by Orhan Pamuk. It won him the Nobel Prize for Literature. I had been reading this text for months before we set foot at the actual brick-and-mortar museum in Istanbul. The Museum of Innocence is also just that, a museum. There is a ticket in the back of the novel that grants you free entry to the museum. It was a happy day when I got my ticket stamped. Dani and I wandered the floors of this old townhouse in Istanbul. Said to be the actual setting of the book. A fictional place came to life right before our eyes. This museum was full of objects that were sentimental to the characters in the book. There were hair brushes, shoes, and teapots. All set in diorama-type displays lining the walls. I was moved by the authenticity of it all. When leaving the museum with my book in hand I felt a kind of elation. A feeling one only gets when art becomes life.
The next day we boarded a tiny plane to fly out to the countryside of Turkey to a town called Cappadocia which is a place world famous for its early morning hot air balloon flights. We were determined to get in a balloon and soar through the skies, so we booked our flight as soon as we could. Dani and I took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. This was not just a normal hotel, but a cave hotel. It is common for folks in Cappadocia to live in cave houses because the spaces naturally regulate the temperature throughout the year. This was a glorious experience with walls of pure earth built directly into mountain. The rock formations of Cappadocia were originally formed underwater, so they have an otherworldly quality to them since the water receded. Part of Star Wars was filmed in this area because it looks like an environment you would find in outer space. We settled into our hotel and drank coffee on the patio overlooking the mountains.
Dawn finally broke over the horizon and we knew it was time to board the hot air balloon. We gathered in a field of poppy flowers surrounded by a group of about fifteen people all joining us on this excursion. After climbing into the basket, a fire was lit and the balloon began to rise. I took special note of all the poppy flowers surrounding us. Like an expansive green field of grass, but it was red. Soon we were soaring among about twenty other balloons all taking flight at the same time. The vision of these balloons traversing the mountainous landscape, floating over peaks, and touching the clouds was soul-stirring. I remember looking down and I felt no fear at all. High up there with nothing but a basket to support me. Dani and I started a conversation with the pilot. We asked him about his life story and how he ended up becoming a hot air balloon pilot. He told us when he was young he always dreamt of being in the position that he is in now. Even pointing out his childhood home among the tiny residences below us. “I would go out into the backyard and watch all the balloons fly overhead and just dream of being up there myself”, he said. Such a simple story and a beautiful life lived.
On our way down we saw a group of men huddled into a cluster below us. They seemed to shuffle left and right trying to get the right placement for the catch. Yes, a group of men catches the basket as the balloon is landing. It made me laugh at the sight. The man in front of me helped me out of the basket and handed me a poppy flower. I was touched by the sentiment and pressed the flower in one of the books I got in Istanbul. I felt fearless at this moment. I had just flown over mountains and fields of flowers beside my best friend. So far away from my hometown, but feeling at home in his company and the environments Turkey provides.